Lisa n Tom (n James n Joseph)

Lisa writes: Today was a trip to the OR for Joseph and a trip to the wildlife part for James. James definitely got the better end of that deal. Muchas smoochas to the Shepherds for taking James for the day so we could be at the hospital with Joseph for his little procedure. He came out just fine.  

Lisa writes: He's hard to get to bed, and once he's down, he's hard to get back up again.   Climbing "a mountain" at Grandma and Grandpa's condo. It was nice to spend a couple of nights somewhere fancy. People come and go from the Ronald McDonald House all the time, and they leave behind their leftover foodstuffs in the community cupboards and fridge. With a bit of creative Googling, we found a cookie recipe that matched up with the thing we found on the shelves. We made a batch to share with the dinner crew that night. The recipe said it made 4 dozen cookies; I think I counted 32 actual cookies by the time James was done taste-testing.

 

Lisa writes: People make and donate little quilts for the babies in the NICU. This particular one was my favorite. It's a crocheted (maybe knitted?) blue square with a raise sort of bubble pattern of a big heart in the middle. It came with a matching beanie hat. The quilt isn't much bigger than a dishcloth, but then neither is Joseph.   We've fallen into a routine. Tom gets up first and walks the mile and a half to the hospital around 7:30 a.m. He doesn't have to walk -- we have a rental car -- but he likes the exercise and the quiet time to think. He does the 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. feeds and diaper changes. I wake up when James wakes up. We have breakfast and play and maybe go somewhere fun like the park or a museum. We drive to the hospital around 1 p.m. and switch: Tom takes the James and the car back to the house while I do the 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. feeds. Then they boys pick me up and we have dinner at the Ronald McDonald House. Different volunteer groups br...

Lisa writes: This is the church where Tom's mother, Trudi, had her confirmation. St. Mary's Roman Catholic Basilica, right downtown, across from the convention center on one side and Hooters on the other. (Fun fact: When you look up downtown Phoenix addresses on Google Maps, the results include the locations of drinking fountains. Because it's Phoenix. And Google apparently doesn't want you to die.)   A gift from daycare friends, the Hannigans. This bear is actually only about six inches tall, but it looks ENORMOUS compared to the baby.    Waiting for church with cousin Stephanie's family. We each brought exactly one church outfit. People should start to recognize us soon. Self portrait by James.